and for the truth to which all of these voices point:
That you are constantly aware of your creation – of its needs and
wants; of its faith and lack of faith.

You constantly care about us,

about our lives as they are

about what we, in your love, have the potential to be.

All the voices you send to us,

remind us of your eternal love for us -

of your constant faithfulness to your promise to be our
God

and your invitation to us to be your people.

We confess that we have turned away from you -

and day by day, we continue to turn away from you -

We turn away from you

in the things we think

in the things we say,

in the things we do.

We turn away from you

in the things we ought to think, but don't

in the things we ought to say but don't

in the things we ought to do but don't.

We act as if, when Jesus said “follow me”

he meant someone else, not us.

Turn us around to face you again -

give us the will and the ability

to hear Jesus' call again,

and to follow.

In his name we pray, Amen.

Kids'
time

Remember what our candy cane reminded us about last
week? (Shepherds)

There's another candy cane this week. I'm thinking if
you hold it up like this it looks like a letter. Does some big prep
kid want to tell me what letter this looks like? (J)

What name starts with “J” that we're thinking about
at Christmas? (Jesus) You're right. Christmas is Jesus' birthday!

Guess what? This candy cane's got something written on
it! Isn't that a surprise? Who can read it out?

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and
said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your
wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She
will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his
people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20-21

(Does Bec have a present under the tree today? How does
that help remind us about Jesus at Christmas?)

Advent
Candle lighting liturgy (Young Adults)

1st
reader: We have grown up in a world that's known continual wars.

2nd
reader: From time to time, the place has changed, and the reason has
changed, but fighting continues.

1st
reader: Even within communities and homes, people don't seem to be
able to live in peace.

2nd
reader: Yet Jesus comes as Prince of Peace – as the one who can
help us do what we just can't on our own.

All young adults: We look for Jesus to bring peace this
Christmas.

(Relight first purple candle from last week, and pink
candle for repentance this week.)

Last Sunday we heard words of hope – hope based in
God's action of coming to us in Jesus.

Today as we progress through to the second week of Lent,
we hear words of comfort, or peace, – but comfort which comes with
a call for us to respond.

It is comfort mixed with something else. Let's start
with Isaiah, very briefly. In Isaiah, God declares “comfort” for
the nation of Israel because they've served their sentence –
they've been punished enough. Israel may have been suffering, but not
suffering innocently. The word for “comfort” can mean “be
comforted or consoled” or it can mean “repent or be sorry”.
Both meanings are very closely linked. We cannot be comfortable in
our relationship with God, if we are not living in a right
relationship with God. Repentance, which literally is “turning
back” to God, is the way for us to approach God to come into that
relationship.

Now let's look ahead to the gospel reading:

It's interesting to note here, that Mark introduces his
gospel, not with a story of Jesus, but with the story of the
appearance of John.

When we look at John's message, we need to see something
of his character. John lived the message he brought – which is a
good way to know if you can trust any leader.

John's birth was a miracle – his parents were already
in old age and unable to have children. His birth had also been
announced by the angel Gabrie, who gave instructions as to how he was
to be raised – from birth he was dedicated to God in terms of the
Nazirite vow – which included all sorts of rules of holiness.
(Think of Samson – also bound by a Nazirite vow for life so not
allowed to cut his hair.) Nazirite vows were usually taken on for a
period of time, such as we might take on an extra spiritual
discipline during lent. For John, it was his life, right from birth.
That's why we hear about his clothes and diet – he's not taking on
any luxuries of life, because he is totally dedicated to God.

John appeared out of the wilderness as a prophet –
just as many prophets before him spent time in the wilderness. This
is important, because in Jesus' day, people were expecting the
prophet Elijah to return, and come ahead of the Messiah. John's
appearance from the wilderness helped to put him in line with that
heritage of prophets.

Many came out, expecting John to be the Messiah. At this
time of history, with the Roman army occupying Israel, there were
lots of “messiahs” wanting to bring a military or political
salvation for the nation.

John was quick to dispel that belief. He made it very
clear that his role was one of preparation – to get people ready
for the coming of the Messiah they had been expecting for
generations.

He called out to people to prepare through repentance.
That's what John's baptism was about. It was a cleansing ceremony.
That was something well known in his time – wealthy Jewish houses
had baptisteries and cisterns for just such a purification ritual,
which was done over and over again. It was not the same as Christian
baptism which is a once-and-for-all-time incorporation into the death
and resurrection of Jesus.

John's baptism was a declaration of an intent to turn
back to God, to wash away the things that were wrong in life and
start again fresh.

Let's have a quick look at the 2 Peter reading: in which
people are also called to repentance, as a preparation for God to
act. The reason Christ hasn't returned yet is because God has given
us time to prepare, time to repent.

So in each of these three time periods: Old Testament,
in Jesus' day, and in the post-resurrection life of the very early
church, our hope that God will act is accompanied by a call to
prepare through repentance.

The Biblical concept of Sin is about turning away from
God. Conversely, the Biblical concept of repentance is turning around
– to turn back to God.

We have a hope that God will act. We can rely on that,
as our readings last week assured us. But in the meantime, we are
called on to act in response to that hope and the assurance that
comes with it. We must act by turning our lives to face toward God –
to strive to be at peace with God. Again we see a link between peace
or comfort and repentance.

The reason that the world has not ended before now –
that Jesus has not yet returned, is not that God has forgotten and we
should give up hope. Instead, it is because God is patient with us,
and wants to give us all the opportunity to repent, to turn back to
align our lives with God's will.

We are all given the opportunity to remember our origins
– that we are creatures, made by God's hand – to turn back and
live the lives we were created to live: at peace with our maker and
with each other.

Hymn
Together in Song 270 On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's cry

Notices

Offering

Prayers
of the People

Merciful God,

Two millennia after John came out of the wilderness -

we hear his call to us today-

Repent, and prepare the way of the Lord.

You know the things we need to repent of:

things in the life of our world

things in the life of our nation

things in the life of our city and community

things in the lives of our families

things in our own lives.

Help us to face the things which are wrong, we pray

to accept that sin has been a part of our lives

and to let go of it.

Help us to turn around

to live lives in accord with your will

so that we may truly

prepare the way of the Lord.

God of peace – we pray for peace

we pray not just for the absence of war -

but for the peace of your Kingdom at work in the world.

We pray for wisdom among world leaders that leads to
respect and understanding.

We pray for gentleness and respect and compassion among
individuals.

In defiance of the way things are – we trust in your
power and pray for what could be.

We pray for a world which takes seriously the Christmas
promise of peace on earth and goodwill to all -

And we pray that you use us as you will, to help to
bring this about wherever we are.

Monday, 28 November 2011

2nd
reader: From time to time, the place has changed, and the reason has
changed, but fighting continues.

1st
reader: Even within communities and homes, people don't seem to be
able to live in peace.

2nd
reader: Yet Jesus comes as Prince of Peace – as the one who can
help us do what we just can't on our own.

All
young adults: We look for Jesus to bring peace this Christmas.

Good morning

As we progress through
our Advent readings, today Isaiah speaks to us of comfort and John
calls us to repent.

We live in a world of
turmoil, and often it seems our individual lives are in constant
turmoil as well. What would it be like to be comforted, to actually
be at peace? What would it take to achieve this – John's answer
would be to repent – to turn back to God.

Sunday School children
know the “right answer” to just about every question is “Jesus”.
The same is true in the adult world – although nothing seems quite
so simple from our point of view. What we want when we seek comfort
in the turmoil of our lives is to be taken out of the turmoil – we
want to be rescued. What God offers is usually something different.

When we repent –
when we turn to face God – what we are doing is focussing on a
different point. The turmoil is background, it's placed in
perspective. We're not rescued from the trauma – we're shown that
it is not as important as we thought it was. If we focus on the
goodness of God, how important can any evil or pain in this world
actually be? There is no comparison.

That's not to say we
should not act, when we are able, to change things that are wrong
with this world. In fact the prophets call down to us throughout the
ages, that we must act for justice wherever God gives us the ability
to do so – we must care for the widow and orphan, the homeless, the
poor. Turning to face God will always inspire us to do better, to
seek good not just for ourselves, but for all people and especially
those least able to help themselves.

Today, as we journey
through Advent, let's take the time to repent, to turn to focus our
lives once again on God, and to get everything into perspective.

Thursday, 24 November 2011

As Thom said last week – last Sunday was the final
Sunday of the church year. Today, we begin the year again – with
the first Sunday of Advent – our time of looking forward to the
coming of Jesus – as the baby of Bethlehem, and as ruler and judge
of the world.

What do these tinselly things on the pulpit today look
like? Sort of like walking sticks? (Candy canes!)

Yum. Who likes candy canes?

Let's have a look at it.... You guys have been talking
in Sunday School about when Jesus was born, right?

Well, this candy can sort of reminds me of someone who
was there. There were some people who would have used sticks with
bendy ends like this in their work. They would have used them to help
pull sheep out of trouble, and keep them together. Who were they?
(Shepherds)

How did they fit into the story of Jesus being born, can
anyone tell me? (Let kids tell the story.)

Did I see one of you put a present under the Christmas
tree just now? Can I open it? (It's a sheep!) Wow. Let's keep the
sheep up here under the Christmas tree right up until Christmas to
remind us about the story.

Now – I have some candy canes here with something
written on them. Who can read it? (When the angels had left them and
gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now
to Bethlehem and see this thing which the Lord has made known to us.”
So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Child
lying in the manger. Luke 2:16-17)

Who'd like one of these candy canes? Do you think we
should share them with the adults? I've got a job for you to do
right now – you guys are doing the advent candle this week – and
then we're singing a hymn. While we're singing, you can give the
candy canes out.

Advent
Candle Week 1 – Hope – Kids

1st
reader: Christmas is coming there's lots to hope for.

2nd
reader: Presents, and lollies, and cakes, and a visit from Santa.

1st
reader: Hope is young, it looks forward to what is coming...

2nd
reader: Hope waits with excitement.

All
kids: We hope for Jesus this Christmas.

Light first candle.

Hymn:
Together in Song 276 Light One Candle – verse 1.

Scripture:

Isaiah 64:1-9

Mark 13:24-37

This is the Word of the Lord

Thanks be to God.

Sermon:

Today is the beginning of Advent. It's time we all
started thinking about getting ready for Christmas. For a couple of
weeks, maybe longer, the shops have had their Christmas decorations
up and urged you to buy lots of things to prepare for Christmas.

Today my family will do things we have a long-standing
tradition of doing on the first day of Advent – we'll put up our
Christmas tree and nativity scene and decorate the house. Presents
will start appearing under the tree over the next week or so.

In one sense that's all very appropriate – we are
preparing for Christmas. In another we're a bit premature. We put
out all of our nativity scene. Some families, and some churches, are
a little more patient, and a little more in line with the events of
Advent and Christmas. They begin with Mary and Joseph, adding baby
Jesus and the shepherds on Christmas eve night, and then bringing in
the wise men at Epiphany (the twelfth day of Christmas – the 6th
of January.)

Putting the pieces in place as we remember them in the
church calendar is perhaps more symbolic of what the season of Advent
is about. It is a time of waiting, and it's a time of waiting for
more than our celebrations of Christmas.

Advent is about waiting for Christ to come as the
messiah – the baby of Bethlehem, which has already happened; but
more than that, it is about waiting for him to return as judge and
ruler of the world. So our readings for the four Sundays of Advent
will take us through the ancient prophecies about the coming
Messiah, the New Testament promise of the birth of Jesus; and also
strange prophecies about the end of the world. Advent ties all of
this together.

The Church is really an Advent people. We live in the
time of already-but-not-yet. Christ has come, yet we wait for his
coming, just as the people of Isaiah's time waited.

In the meantime, we live with the problems of the world
around us. In Isaiah's time, the people of Israel were exiled,
waiting for a leader who would take them home. They cried out to God
for help, and the prophet brought them God's words of hope, using
God's faithfulness in the past as evidence that could be relied on
for trusting God in the future.

The earliest information we have about the Gospel writer
Mark is that he was a disciple of Peter, and wrote down Peter's
stories of Jesus. When Mark was writing, Christians had seen the fall
of Jerusalem, the temple torn down. They had escaped the Holy City in
time, but had become scattered. They had been persecuted firstly by
Jews, and were beginning to be persecuted by Romans. Like Israel in
exile, the church had become a people isolated from their spiritual
home and not free to worship openly. Everything seemed to have been
taken away from them.

And Mark found a message for hope for the Church in
Peter's recollection that Jesus had said lots of bad stuff was going
to happen, but that there was hope in the midst of the bad stuff. At
some time, a time that no-one could predict (even though people will
persist in trying), the son of Man would return, coming in the
clouds. It was a reflection of what the prophet Daniel had said in
Old Testament times.

In some of the passages we have read in the past few
weeks, “keep awake” or “be prepared” has been a warning. Now
it's a sign of hope. No matter how tough things get, don't lose hope;
hold on, keep waiting and don't give up. Christ will come. No matter
what happens, his promise can be relied upon – even if heaven and
earth cease to exist – Christ's word will still hold true.

Her we are, in the 21st century since Jesus,
and he still hasn't returned. We have been through the period of
Christendom, when the church held sway over temporal as well as
spiritual powers; when the church, in effect ruled much of the world.
We've been through the Reformation, when we discovered that the
church could become just as corrupt as any political power and does
at times need to be challenged, and reformed. We've been through a
time when Western nations considered themselves to be Christian
nations, and the only division was between Christian denominations.

Now, we've reached a time when people are free to choose
what faith they will have, if any. There's no longer any social
expectation that people will be Christian. We've also reached a time
where the popular perception of Christianity has been watered down
enough that people can call themselves “Christian” without really
knowing what that means, or practising the Christian faith in any
way.

I was amazed a few years back, when census results
showed that the small town of Kin Kin in the Sunshine Coast
Hinterland had 100 Uniting Church members – I was amazed because
Kin Kin was one of the congregations I was minister for at the time,
and we had four people and one horse attending worship. (The horse
was named Crystal, and she used to stick her head in the door and pay
rapt attention to the service.) Our membership roll included four
names (the horse hadn't been baptised or confirmed.) Attending
worship is pretty much the most basic of the Christian disciplines.
Yet people who clearly weren't doing that still felt free to call
themselves Christian.

We're also seeing a rise of other faiths in our society:
world religions, astrology, witchcraft, cults of all sorts, paganism,
spiritualism, ancient gnosticism in its latest guise as New Age
religion.

The world we live in is resembling more and more the
world faced by the early church. Our problem is that we have been
through the time of Christendom, when Christianity was seen as
“normal” - and we've lost that understanding of what it is to be
a community of faith, in a world that doesn't necessarily share that
faith. And so people in our day and age throw up their hands in
horror and exclaim it is hopeless, the church is declining, it's
dying.

The truth is, time is moving, and we can't turn it back
to some ideal past. (And if we could, we would probably discover that
past wasn't so ideal, after all.) The church is not dying. It may
have to change, but it's changed endless times before, and probably
will endless times again. It may need to find different ways of doing
things; but it is Christ's body in this world – and it will not
die.

The world we live in is in many ways like the world of
Mark's day. Christianity is one choice among many for people to
believe in. Any sense of privilege that attached to being Christian
has long gone. In fact, for many people, being Christian is seen with
negative connotations. (And it was in Mark's day too.)

In Australia, we don't live under any particular
persecution, although Christians in some countries really do. But
there are times when sticking to our faith may make us seem different
or strange.

The Mark reading is directed at a church which is in a
lot of ways like us. They're not the centre of society (for them they
never have been.) Sometimes they're considered with the suspicion (to
say the very least) by their neighbours.

And Mark reminds this church – this is all OK. It's
all OK because Jesus said all this kind of stuff will happen – but
that doesn't mean it's the end. The problems we see (in their case
the fall of Jerusalem, in our case a slow decline in the number of
practising Christians in our country) are only a part of a much
bigger picture. In the bigger picture – these things don't matter
that much compared to the promise that Jesus will come back, and make
everything right.

This is the future orientation of the advent season,
indeed of the whole life of the church. At some time, Jesus will come
back. This isn't the kind of hope for the future that involves doing
as some groups which anticipate the end of the world do and go into
bunkers or arm themselves to the teeth for some great battle. It's a
hope – and it's based in God – not a fear based in some
expectation of the evil human beings can do to each other. There is
no point in going into hiding, or storing up food or doing anything
to change the pattern of our days. There is no point, because we
don't know when Jesus will return. (The church has been waiting more
than 2000 years, so obviously a bit of patience is required with
this.)

So if we don't prepare the way the radical groups and
cults do, how do we prepare for Jesus' coming?

One clue is that the angels are sent out throughout the
world to gather in the elect. Obviously, God's people are meant to be
out in the world. We need to be in worship – but that's meant to be
the fuel we use for life in the world. Our being an active part of
the world is not supposed to change as long as this world exists. We
are warned to keep awake, to be prepared at all times.

If we are to be out in the world doing what it is God
wants at any time, we need to go back to the basics and ask so what
is it God wants of us? Jesus summarised it in two simple-sounding
instructions: Love God, and love your neighbour as yourself.

They may sound simple – but they are difficult to
sustain in the long-term. To always act in a way which shows infinite
respect for God, others, and ourselves, is a tough call. It sounds
easy – and it can be easy for a short time. But in human beings
there is a tendency to want the best for ourselves – even if it
costs others. (Or for some people to go to the other extreme and take
so little care of themselves they are of no use to anyone else.)
That's what makes it difficult long term, to put God first, and to
measure our actions by what is loving towards God, and our neighbours
as ourselves.

So in Advent, we are reminded to focus again on a
question that has been with the Christian Church right from its birth
– if Jesus were to return today, how would he feel about what he
found us all doing?

And we look forward in hope, that despite all the things
human beings have managed to do wrong in the world – Jesus will
return – and all things will be put right for eternity.

Nobody knows
how to hope like a kid in Advent. There's just so many exciting
things to look forward to, school holidays, presents, celebrations.

But our hope
of advent is more than just a hope for all the good things we can
have and do in our celebrations. Advent is about looking two
different ways in history – we look back and anticipate Jesus
coming to us as the baby of Bethlehem – but we also look forward
and anticipate Jesus coming again as ruler and judge of the world.

We don't
talk about judgement much any more. It's not seen as good publicity
for the church. But it truly is a part of our advent hope. Jesus will
come as judge – and the basis on which he will judge is the quality
of our love. Each person we encounter in our daily life is Jesus
coming to us in another form. How will we love them?

The world
that Jesus judges – the one he puts right according to the way he
wants things done – is a world of love. And so we have much to hope
for through advent – as we hope for Jesus' return, and a future
where his love is the most important thing there is.

Wednesday, 16 November 2011

Another option to give a gift that will make a real difference this Christmas - the Uniting World Catalogue.

After worship, once or twice during Advent, Lindy will organise a stall after church where you may buy Uniting World gifts. (ie you buy a card that tells the person you give it to that you gave a chicken or whatever on their behalf.)

Tuesday, 15 November 2011

As most
of you know I do a blog about lupus. At the moment, I'm taking part
in “Health Blogging Month” - a challenge where I'm given a topic
to write on every day for a month.

One of
the topics that I've been asked to think about is a “little red
engine” blog – to write ten to fifteen things starting with “I
think I can....”, and then write five that begin with “I know I
can.....”

Of
course, in the blogging challenge, this relates to living with lupus.
But I wonder what a list like that would look like if it was done for
our church? When we look around on Sunday morning and see the people
sitting beside us. When we are together as Christ's body – and when
we go out separately to do our daily activities – what do we think
we can do? What do we know we can do? When we realise that we are
never alone, but that the Spirit of God works along with us, what do
we know we can do?

Today is
Christ the King, or Reign of Christ Sunday in the church calendar –
the last day of the church year. ( We begin again next Sunday with
the first day of Advent.) Today we recall that Jesus is king, and
that he will come again to judge the living and the dead. And we
recall those things he has told us about judgment: that “whatever
you do to the least of these, you do to me.” What can we do? When
even the things that seem small to us, can turn out to be a lot –
then even a small congregation like ours can surely do incredible
things!

Thursday, 10 November 2011

I've been
thinking a lot these past couple of weeks about that old saying “you
don't judge a book by its cover.” I've been thinking about it,
because I've bought a new pain control device that's actually really
helpful, and has even allowed me to reduce the amount of pain
controlling drugs I take.

What's
remarkable is that I've seen ads for this device for years, and
dismissed it as “junk” because the ads looked like something
incredibly dodgy. Despite the ads, however, the machine turns out to
be a TENS machine, the same as my physiotherapist uses. It uses
electrical currents to disrupt the pain messages from nerves to the
brain. For me it works. I can have physiotherapy while sitting at my
desk.

It reminds
me of the story of Samuel going off to anoint a new king. He goes to
Jesse's family and each of the sons come out in turn. Some look big
and strong, and Samuel thinks they'd make impressive-looking kings,
and God says no. Eventually, there's only one son left – the
youngest, the kid who looks after the sheep. He's not big and strong.
He's not expecting to inherit the family fortune. No-one's grooming
him to be a success at anything more than watching the sheep. And God
says – this is the one. Samuel can't see why, but he anoints the
kid anyway. King David would be a legend, an example, and a reminder
of glory, throughout the history of Israel.

Nobody but
God saw what was inside the kid who looked after the sheep. Nobody
but God saw who he could be.

Let's recap anyway, and
try to take into account actual values as we would understand them –
because we're dealing with huge amounts here.

A businessman decided to
go establish a new business in another country. He'd be away a fair
while, because he was developing a totally new market. He had his
business-class plane ticket booked, and his suits and laptop computer
packed. He just needed to leave someone responsible for looking after
his local financial interests while he was out of the country.

He got his lawyer to draw
up the papers, then called in three of his employees to tell them
what they were going to be doing.

To the first one he gave
a power of attorney over five million dollars. (Yes, that's about the
modern equivalent of the amount of money Jesus talked about.) The
employee gulped, shuffled his feet, and said, “Sure boss, I'll do
my best.”

The second employee, he
gave power of attorney over two million dollars, and said take care
of it. The second employee said, “OK Boss, I'll do my best.”

The third employee, he
gave power of attorney over one million dollars. (This must have been
the new guy.) He said, “Don't worry, Boss, it will be safe and
sound when you get back.”

The three workers were in
a strange situation. They apparently weren't accountants, or anyone
at all used to dealing with this kind of money.

The first employee, with
his five million decided that he was going to invest in a new
business on the boss' behalf. He established a high-end interior
decorating business and won contracts to refurbish Parliament House
and the Sydney Opera House. Business was booming, in fact, he doubled
the money.

The employee with the two
million decided to try investing – he put some money in term
deposits, some in some risky high-return investments, and some in
some less risky lower-return investments. He was very careful with
his investments, and eventually, he too, doubled his money.

The third employee, the
new guy, had a bright idea. He saw the ventures the other two had
gone into and realised that both had some risks involved. So he did
something that he believed was perfectly safe. He put the money in a
safe. It didn't increase. It didn't decrease. It didn't do anything.
But it was safe, in the safe. He added a fence with razor wire at the
top, forgot security code for his ultra-sensitive burglar alarm and
had to stay very still inside until someone rescued him.

After a couple of years
away, the businessman returned to see how things were going at home.

The first employee was a
bit apologetic. A politician had reneged on a major contract when the
media discovered that she was putting a $50 toilet roll holder in her
office as a paper-weight. But he had ten million to hand over, having
started with five. The boss was impressed, and told employee number
one to hang on to the ten million and keep up the good work.

The second employee was
also a bit apologetic. He'd lost a bit on the global financial
crisis, but things had started coming good again. He had four million
to hand over after having started with two. The boss was impressed,
and told employee number two to hang on to the four million and keep
up the good work.

Then came the third
employee. He handed over the original million dollars and explained
that he really hadn't wanted to take a risk with the money. The boss
wasn't happy. Even bank interest would have been some profit! The
boss sacked employee three on the spot – and told employee one to
take charge of that million as well and do something worthwhile with
it.

Nowadays, employee one is
winning design awards left, right and centre. There's a tv series and
a magazine on how to copy his style in your own home.

Employee two's got a
reputation for buying up failing businesses and making them
profitable. Newspaper columnists watch his every move, because any
company he's interested in will turn to gold.

Employee three's still
looking for work that will suit his talents.

Well, that's a fairly
amusing way to look at the parable. Now let's get serious.

Let's put ourselves in
the story. Jesus is the businessman, who has gone away, leaving us
the Holy Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit, for the building up of
God's reign. We all have sets of resources entrusted to our care.
Will we use the resources, stretch them, take risks with them? Or
will we safely hide them away? At some time Jesus will return and say
“What did you do with the things I gave you?”

So what resources have
we?

We all have bodies. Some
have bodies that are more able than others. What do we do with our
bodies, our hands, our feet, our eyes, our ears, and mouths, to
further the reign of God where we are? What places do we physically
go? What things do we physically do? How could those be used to carry
out God's work?

We all have things we're
good at. Some people might be good at sewing. Some people might be
good at cooking. Some people might be good at arts and crafts. Some
people might be good at gardening. Some people might be good at
organising things. Some people might be good at typing. Some might be
good at book-keeping. Some people are good at praying. Some are good
at visiting others. Some people in this congregation are good at
leading worship. Each of us is good at at least one thing. Many of us
would be good at more than one thing.

Like the workers in the
parable, we all have different gifts to work with. And like the
workers, we all have different capacities to put those gifts to use.
The difference between employees one and two and employee three is
that one and two took the risk of actually using what they were
given. They had a go. They could have failed abysmally, but they took
the risk any way.

Employee Three, however,
kept what was good to himself. He made sure his gifts were never in
danger. He made sure, in fact, that no-one ever even saw that he had
gifts. He failed, not because he didn't look after his gifts well,
but because he missed the point of having them. The Bible tells us
the reason the Holy Spirit gives us gifts is for the building up of
the community of faith. It's not about personal development, or
personal spirituality. Whatever we have is meant to be shared. We
each have different gifts to benefit all of us.

How can we use the things
we're good at to further the reign of God. Usually, when I ask
questions like that I leave it to you to think about quietly. Today,
I'm going to ask you to tell someone near you, one gift you have, and
how you intend to use it. Tell someone near you, and hear what gift
they have and how they plan to use it. But don't leave it at that.
Some time in the future, when you see that person, ask them how
they're going at what they planned to do.

(Discussion time)

Notices

Present
Certificates of Eldership

Offering

Prayers
of the People

God of all things

we bring you the needs of
your world

needs which you know
intimately,

but which we are barely
aware of.

We bring you the needs of
people in faraway places

The Horn of Africa

The people living in
Japan, in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster

Books by Iris, available in Paperback and eBook versions

Patchwork

Patchwork is an anthology of short stories and poems by author and blogger Iris Carden. In this volume, you will deal with the aftermath of a dog bite in Bad Moon Rising, spend a sleepless night with The Possum in the Roof, and investigate a weird religious cult in The Time of Blood and Death. The print version of the book has a bonus story not in the eBook version.

Beside Still Waters

A book of sermons and brief reflections on Christian Scripture, by Rev Iris Carden. There is no specific order to the items in the book, they are intended to each be a "surprise" in that they are not related to the items around them. It is hoped that in each, the reader will find something new or special, or unexpected, a message from God. Rev Iris Carden has a Master's Degree in Theology and more than 10 years of experience as a Christian minister.

Cat-it-orial

Mr Bumpy is such a talented cat, he even runs his own website: mrbumpycat.com. He is a blogger, and a very bad cat. His favourite hobby is world domination. His next hobby is harassing the humans and other animals he shares a home with. In this book, you can see the world through the eyes of a megalomanicat, and some of the other animals who share his home.

Group Meeting

(Novella) In a facility for people recovering from mental illness: a group of people with sinister pasts starts to be visited by a girl who doesn't exist.

Karlee

Failing author Terry Dixon is made an offer that seems unbelievable. He can have all of his problems solved, have everything he has ever wanted, for a price. The price is something that "will not be too difficult" for him to pay - but it is not specified what it actually will be. With bills mounting up and a deadline looming, Terry agrees to a deal with something he knows nothing about.<

About the Author

Iris Carden is a retired Uniting Church minister and former journalist. Lupus forced her to stop working. On good days she writes.